Disney’s A Christmas Carol aims to refashion the familiar 19th-century morality tale with fresh advances from motion-capture pioneer Robert Zemeckis.

His earlier experiments The Polar Express and Beowulf produced mixed results, but this time around the digital puppet master hopes to elevate Christmas Carol from ho-hum retread to high-flying thrill ride.

Also opening Friday is George Clooney’s mind-over-matter comedy The Men Who Stare at Goats. He plays an ex-soldier who’s been trained to disable enemies with his psychic abilities. The weird part: Goats is fact-based.

Other weekend releases include The Fourth Kind, which purports to explain mysterious disappearances in the town of Nome, Alaska, and The Box, from Donnie Darko writer-director Richard Kelly. The latter features Cameron Diaz as a cash-strapped suburbanite who considers killing a stranger in exchange for $1 million. Read more about this week’s theatrical offerings and watch trailers below.

The Men Who Stare at GoatsSynopsis: George Clooney stars as ex-Special Forces spy Lyn Cassady, who developed his psychic abilities in the 1980s. Teaming with journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) in present-day Iraq, Cassady hits the road on a kooky mission. Based on Jon Ronson’s 2004 book, the movie co-stars Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey. Grant Heslov (Good Night and Good Luck) directs.Rated: R

The BoxSynopsis: Cameron Diaz and James Marsden play struggling suburban parents who find a wooden box on their doorstep. Soon afterward, a disfigured stranger (Frank Langella) offers the couple $1 million to press a button on the box causing the death of another human being somewhere in the world. Writer-director Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko) adapts the short story by Richard Matheson.Rated: PG-13

This Is ItSynopsis: The posthumous tribute follows Michael Jackson as he rehearses for a series of sold-out shows in London. The music documentary is directed by Jackson’s choreographer, Kenny Ortega.Rated: PG

The House of the DevilSynopsis: After a college co-ed (Jocelin Donahue) gets a babysitting gig at a Victorian mansion deep in the woods, she encounters a lunar eclipse and an unwholesome stranger. Greta Gerwig (Baghead), Tom Noonan (Snow Angels), Mary Woronov and Dee Wallace (E.T.) co-star. Ti West directs.Rated: R

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (limited) Synopsis: Writer-director Troy Duffy’s action sequel tracks the vigilante MacManus brothers (Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery), who return from exile in Ireland to avenge the death of a priest in Boston. The cast also includes Julie Benz (TV’s Dexter), Billy Connolly and Clifton Collins Jr. (Star Trek).Rated: R

Antichrist (limited) Synopsis:Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) and Charlotte Gainsbourg (The Science of Sleep) star as a married couple who deal with a personal tragedy in a forest hideaway. Lars von Trier directs.Rated: not rated

Mini-review: A great deceiver, Antichrist shows initial promise as an exercise in art-house horror: Beautiful, slow-motion imagery set to an operatic soundtrack introduces a wildly copulating couple and reveals the incident that will drive their story of sex and sadness. After their loss, He (Willem Dafoe), a therapist, retreats with his grieving wife, She (Charlotte Gainsbourg), to a cabin in the woods. But once in “Satan’s church,” psychobabble gives way to occult mumbo jumbo, genital mutilation and surreal woodland creatures as the movie deteriorates into a mess of confused symbolism. Perhaps it makes sense on some level — one can imagine a dope-smoking student banging out a thesis about the film’s deep connections — but on the face of it, Danish director Lars Von Trier has cooked up a hellish drama that is visually compelling, frequently laughable and ultimately disappointing. — Lewis WallaceRating:

Where the Wild Things AreSynopsis: Unhappy at home, Max (played by Max Records) escapes to an island inhabited by unpredictable Wild Things. There, Max rises to power before becoming entangled in nature’s rough-and-tumble realities. Catherine Keener and Mark Ruffalo star as humans. The costumed creatures are voiced by James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Forest Whitaker and Lauren Ambrose. Adapted from Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s picture book by director Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich) and co-scripter Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius), the film features a soundtrack by electronic music pioneer Carter Burwell and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O. Tom Hanks produces.Rated: PG

The Stepfather (limited) Synopsis: Remake of the 1987 horror movie features Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck) as a stepfather who might be a lot more dangerous than he seems. Sela Ward co-stars.Rated: PG-13

Couples RetreatSynopsis:Swingers team Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn play a couple of Midwestern guys who join their wives and two other couples at a tropical island resort. The twist: Therapy sessions are part of the program. Directed by actor Peter Billingsley (The Sacred Fire), the domestic comedy co-stars Malin Ackerman, Jason Bateman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell and Faizon Love.Rated: PG-13

Paranormal ActivitySynopsis: A suburban couple becomes increasingly freaked out when spooky phenomena captured on home security cameras suggests that their bedroom is co-occupied by demons. Writer-director Oren Peli made the film on an $11,000 budget. Cast includes Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs, Amber Armstrong and Ashley Palmer.Rated: R

The Invention of LyingSynopsis: Starring co-writer/co-director Ricky Gervais, the story takes place in an alternative universe that resembles normal society in every regard except that nobody lies. When a down-on-his-luck loser (Gervais) stumbles upon a way to lie, he uses his newfound ability to woo the ladies. Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe and Tina Fey co-star.Rated: PG-13

Cloudy With a Chance of MeatballsSynopsis: A mad scientist out to solve world hunger sees his experiment go awry when food that’s programmed into his latest invention starts falling from the sky. The animated 3-D comedy, based on Judi and Ron Barrett’s best-selling novel, is directed by Phil Lord (TV’s Clone High) and animation artist Chris Miller (Shrek, Madagascar) with voice work by Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Neil Patrick Harris, James Caan, Bruce Campbell, Andy Samberg and Mr. T.Rated: PG-13

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